A&M outrebounded the Bears 48-35, the third time in four games Baylor lost the rebounding battle.

"We just weren't tough enough to keep them off the boards," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. "If you don't have Bernice Mosby, you might get beat by 40."

The Bears never solved A&M's league-leading scoring defense, either, shooting 35 percent (17-of-49). A&M also leads the Big 12 in 3-point defense, and limited Baylor to 0-for-3 from behind the line in the second half and 2-for-7 for the game.

The Bears opened the game with a 17-5 spurt as the Aggies missed 14 of their first 16 shots, many of them uncontested. A&M also coughed up four turnovers in the first 8 minutes.

After a time out, the Aggies mounted a quick 7-0 burst, finished by Starks' steal and pull-up jumper with 9:55 left in the first half.

Mosby and Rachel Allison scored inside to stretch Baylor's lead back to nine, but then the Aggies' defense took control, holding the Bears without a field goal for 8 minutes.

"That's two games in a row where we come out on fire and then the wheels come off," Mulkey said.

Franklin finished a fast break with a layup and sank a 3-pointer, and Katy Pound added a turnaround with 2:13 left in the half to give A&M its first lead at 26-24.

Baylor lost four turnovers in the first 4 minutes of the second half and A&M built a five-point lead.

But the Aggies went cold again, going 5 minutes without a field goal, and Jhasmin Player's free throws with 10:27 left tied the game at 42-all.

Franklin ended the A&M drought with her third 3-pointer and triggered a decisive 7-0 spurt.

Mosby hit two free throws with 8:23 to go, but Atunrase sank a 3-pointer with 5:05 left to put A&M up 52-44.

The Bears went 9 minutes without a field goal and got beaten up along the way.

Danielle Wilson bloodied her nose going for a rebound and Latara Darrett twisted her right ankle with 4:01 left. Darrett, Baylor's top 3-point shooter, spent the rest of the game on the bench with an ice pack on her ankle.

Wilson hit a jumper from the wing with 3:44 left to cut A&M's lead to 54-47, but the Bears got no closer than five after that.